Another Future, Another Past
by Alwayssg1
Summary: This is a very different take on 2010 and it's aftermath. Unapologetically Sam and Jack. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a very AU take on 2010 and it's possible effects on SG1. Unapologetically Sam and Jack, of course! I checked my bank account and still no royalties, so I still don't own Stargate. I will do my best to update regularly. There's something coming up in a few weeks that could slow me down, but I'll try to have enough chapters written ahead of time to continue posting. I already have a few chapters finished, so it shouldn't pose a problem. Hope you enjoy!**

 **2010**

Jack awoke to pounding on the cabin door. It was 7 am and he was retired. Who on earth could be bothering him this early on a Saturday morning? Wiping the sleep from his eyes and throwing on a Homer Simpson shirt, he made his way to the door.

"Hold your horses! I'm coming and this better be good!" Jack shouted. He opened the door and was startled by the woman before him. "Mrs. Faxon, you're about the last person I expected to see here." He didn't move from the doorway. "What exactly are you doing on my door step?"

"Can I come in, colonel? There's something you need to know."

Jack stepped aside, allowing her entry. "Jack," he said calmly. "Nobody has called me colonel for a very long time. I'm retired."

"Yes, of course. Jack, I know you had some serious misgivings about the Aschen."

"Have, not had."

"Well, I guess the world should have listened to you. I should have listened. I have learned some things recently, and you were the only one I could think of that might be able to help. Are you alone?"

"My wife is still sleeping," Jack replied hesitantly. He definitely didn't want to bring her into whatever this was if he could help it.

"Get her, please. This concerns both of you."

"Look, I don't think I want to bring my wife into whatever it is you've got planned. I don't even think I want to know, honestly. Why don't you state your purpose and go back to the ambassador?"

"Joe was in on it, well, he was duped but he still knew part of their plan. He doesn't know I'm here."

"Sounds like you married a real keeper," Jack replied. "Still, as I said, I'm retired. I have a very good life. We are expecting a baby, Mrs. Faxon. It's not a good time for me to play hero."

"A baby?" she said softly. Jack could feel the sorrow in her voice.

"Yes, she's due in 9 weeks, so you understand my hesitancy. I have a family to think about here."

"I understand, but don't you care about the world your child will grow up in, Jack? Part of the deal with the Ashen involved sterilizing a percentage of the planet. Our government, my husband agreed. They've reneged and sterilized a much larger portion of the population. The planet is doomed. We'll be nearly extinct in a century."

Jack took in a deep breath. This was worse than he expected. "I don't think I can be of much use to you, Mrs. Faxon. I'm a soldier, and there's not much of a military left anymore. Besides, don't you think it's a little late for a coup? Most of the population has been vaccinated for years."

"Cut the Mrs. Faxon, Jack. Call me Kerry. And, this is why I really need to speak to your wife. She might be able to help."

Jack sighed. The former CIA agent had a point. His wife was brilliant. If there was a solution that didn't put his family at risk, she'd be the one to come up with it. "I'll get Sam. Do you still know how to use an old Earth coffee pot? We don't use Aschen technology around here."

"I think I can manage. Thank you for hearing me out."

"Yeah, well, we'll listen, but Sam and the baby are my priority. I'm still not sure how much we can help."


	2. Chapter 2

**2000**

"Sir, wait up," Sam shouted as she chased Jack down the hallway.

Jack stopped and turned around, "Major, I think I made it very clear in the briefing. I'm retired. No more sirs. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to pack up my things. There's a lake with no fish just waiting on me."

"Sir-"

"Carter!"

"Jack, we need to talk. Can you come over tonight? It's not something we can discuss on base."

Jack sighed. "Carter, I'm pretty sure you have a date tonight. Didn't I just hear you making dinner plans with Faxon?"

"Dinner plans, yes, but not a date. Look, I can't explain here. Take a cab to my house and let yourself in the backdoor. You know where I keep the spare key. I'll be home by ten."

"Sounds a little clandestine to me, Carter. Not sure your new boyfriend would approve," Jack replied snidely.

"Not my boyfriend, Jack. Just be there and bring beer." With that, she was gone and Jack was even more perplexed than he'd been when she cozied up to the ambassador a few weeks earlier. What on earth was she playing at? Jack did know one thing. He would definitely be waiting for her when she got home from her evening out with Faxon. He needed to understand what was going on in that pretty little brain of hers.

True to her word, Sam was on the front porch at 9:50. Jack moved into the kitchen so her date wouldn't see him, but he chose a location where he could watch their exchange.

"Goodnight, Joe. Thanks for dinner. I'll see you Monday."

"It's still pretty early, Sam. Maybe I could come in for a few minutes. We can talk over coffee."

"I don't think so, Joe. I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to go right to bed," Sam said with a smile.

Joe moved in to kiss her goodnight, but Jack noticed Sam moved her head slightly so the kiss landed on her cheek. "Can I see you tomorrow night?" he asked with unmistakable lust in his voice.

"I'm afraid I've got plans this weekend. I'll see you Monday morning. We have that big meeting at 9 then we can get lunch at the cafeteria if you want."

"Okay, Sam. Have a good weekend."

"Bye, Joe," Sam said, closing the door.

As soon as the ambassador was out of sight, Jack stepped back into I the living room. "I could slip out the back door and you could finish your date, Carter. It's pretty obvious Joe thought he'd be staying awhile longer."

"Not a date, sir. Did you bring the beer?" Jack nodded and grabbed a couple of Guiness. He handed one to Sam and Sat down on the couch. Instead of choosing the chair or loveseat, she sat beside him. "Quite a day, wasn't it? I really didn't think you'd quit."

"Not quit, retire. I'm a soldier, Carter. I did my job, and Earth is supposedly safe. My job's done."

Sam took a swig of her drink. "Supposedly safe," she repeated, "but you still don't trust the Aschen."

"Nope, but nobody cares what a broken down soldier has to say on the subject. Everybody's all about the new weapons, technology, medicines, and whatever else they're selling to look any deeper. I don't trust anyone who offers a lot without telling us what they want in return."

"I know," Sam said softly. "But, do you really think leaving is the answer?"

"I can't set back and watch the governments of the world make decisions that I believe put us even more at risk, Carter. Nobody is listening to me, so there's no point in fighting. Even you and Daniel can't wait to sign on the dotted line."

"That's not completely true, sir. I am very excited about the technological advances the Aschen are offering, but your gut isn't usually wrong. I trust your instincts," Sam replied, closing her eyes for a moment then looking Jack in the eyes. "I'm not dating Joe. I'm trying to gather intel."

"What?" Jack asked in surprise.

"I know he's interested in me, so I've been spending time with him these last few weeks trying to find out everything I can about the treaty. He's been pretty tight-lipped so far, but I'm hoping he'll slip up. I want you to be wrong about this, Jack. I want the war to be over, but if it's not then we will need you."

"Let me get this straight, you're telling me you believe me? All these weeks cozying up to Faxon, acting all excited about the treaty, and you don't trust them either? I never thought I'd see the day when Sam Carter went Mata Hari."

"Mata Hari! Jack, I've done no such thing, and I really don't appreciate the insinuation! I'm not sure if I trust the Aschen or not, but I do trust you. I thought you trusted me, too," Sam yelled, rising from the couch. "I won't deny that I'm using Joe to get information but to imply I'd be willing to sleep with him to get it is a low blow. Maybe you should go, colonel. Enjoy your retirement."

Jack rose to his feet. He'd hurt her. She might be the only person on the planet that believed his concerns about the Aschen were valid, and he'd let his jealousy over Flaxon get the better of him. He started to leave then he turned around and pulled her into his arms. "I'll go, Sam. I'm sorry. The idea of you with somebody else just made me crazy. It was worse than thinking you believed what the Aschen were selling. Just tell me why you wanted me to come tonight and I'll leave you alone."

"You aren't my commanding officer anymore. I wanted to see if, I needed to know if," she stopped talking and kissed him gently on the lips. It was tender, but Jack returned it with passion. Finally, breaking for air, Sam sighed. "I just don't want you to go. I need to stay with the program a little longer. If there's really something going on with the Aschen then I need to know. That means I need to maintain my friendship with Joe, but he will never have the chance to kiss me the way I just kissed you. Trust me, Jack. Trust me the way I trust you." Jack nodded, and he was rewarded with another kiss. "I told Joe I was going to bed. I don't want to lie."

"I understand I'll see you soon," Jack said as he let go of her.

"Didn't say I was going alone," Sam replied with a smile then she took his hand and led him to her room. "There's a reason I didn't want your truck parked out front. You were my commanding officer until a few hours ago after all."

"But not anymore," Jack said with a smile. This day had definitely ended better than it started. As long as Sam was on his side, he didn't really care what happened, and he wasn't about to let her go.

* * *

 **I had a hard time believing Sam would be seriously interested in Joe once Jack was no longer her commanding officer. This is my fix-it**.


	3. Chapter 3

Monday morning came way too soon for Sam, and she was exhausted. Jack had ended up spending the entire weekend with her and rest was the furthest thing from her mind. She was nearly late for her meeting when she hopped in the elevator. Daniel was already inside fiddling with his notes. Sam found herself humming as the elevator went down.

"Humming, Sam? That must have been quite a date Friday night. You and Joe seem to have really hit it off."

"We're friends, Daniel," Sam replied shortly.

"But, you're humming. I'd have thought you'd at least be a little upset about Jack leaving, but you're humming," Daniel replied.

"The colonel did what he thought he needed to do, Daniel. We're all doing what we think is best here. Leave it alone."

"Still, humming? I guess I figured if you and Jack were ever free of the regs, you'd be together. Yet, you're humming after a date with Joe. Sorry, Sam, I don't mean to pry. I just didn't see this coming. I didn't see any of this coming. We accomplished what we set out to accomplish, but nothing is right anymore. Teal'c is going home. Jack doesn't understand that the Aschen are here to help. You suddenly have Joe. This just isn't how I saw things ending."

"Daniel, for the last time, it was not a date. I do not 'have' Joe. Leave it alone."

"Now, you're starting to sound like Jack," Daniel said as he made a hasty exit from the elevator. Sam couldn't help but grin. If he had any idea why she was really humming, he'd be in shock.

Sam took a seat between Joe and Daniel in the briefing room. She offered a smile in Kerry Johnson's direction. The CIA representative had just recently been added to the team of people going over the Aschen's offer, and Sam genuinely liked her. The CIA agent was completely fascinated by the stargate and was constantly asking Sam really smart questions. Sam had a feeling Kerry would jump at the chance to join an off-world team, and under different circumstances, she'd probably already have suggested it to her superiors. But, this proposal of the Aschen's took precedence over every thing. Again, Sam hoped Jack was wrong. If this was as good of a deal as it seemed, Earth would finally be safe.

The meeting was really just more of the same excited chatter as previous meetings and Sam was grateful when it was over. She and Joe headed to the commissary for lunch. They were joined by Kerry, but Daniel made some excuses about getting started on some research. It pained Sam a little to know he was actually avoiding being an eyewitness to her "date" with a man who wasn't Jack. If only she could trust him with the truth, but he was so excited about the Aschen. He'd never understand. It was better if he thought she was betraying Jack than the world she supposed.

"So, Sam, I have tickets to a play in Denver this weekend. What do you say we make the weekend of it?" Joe said with a smile as the three of them started dessert.

Sam was caught off-guard. She knew there was no way she could go away with Joe and still maintain the safe distance she was trying to keep. "Um, well, I don't think I can make it this weekend. Colonel O'Neill's retirement was a shock, but we can't let him leave town without a going away party. I'm throwing it at my house Saturday night. Sorry Joe." Sam flashed him a half-smile and hoped she'd managed to handle the situation delicately enough without adding any suspicion then she made a mental note to actually plan Jack a small retirement party. He was going to hate that.

"Oh," Joe said, obviously disappointed. "Well, the tickets are for Friday night. I guess we could drive back Saturday morning then I could help you with the party. It's closing after this weekend and it's gotten some really good reviews."

Sam shook her head. "I really can't. I'm afraid party planning will keep me busy all weekend. Maybe Kerry would like to go."

"I wouldn't mind seeing how Denver theatre compares to D.C.," Kerry said with a smile, "that is if you really don't mind Sam and you still need someone to tag along Ambassador Faxon."

"I think it's a great idea," Sam said perhaps a bit too quickly.

Joe looked at Sam then turned to Kerry. "Of course, I'll make the arrangements. I guess I better get back to work. See you ladies later."

Once Joe was gone, Kerry called Sam's bluff. "Want to tell me the real reason you just blew off the sexy ambassador? I thought you two were spending quite a bit of time together."

Sam grimaced. "Maybe I'm just not ready to go away with him for the weekend," she said meekly.

"Or maybe it's not him you want to go away for the weekend with. What's going on Sam? I haven't been here long, but I've seen the way Colonel O'Neill looks at you when he thinks nobody's watching."

"Colonel O'Neill was my CO," Sam protested.

"Was being the key word," Kerry smiled. "Look, it's none of my business, but you did just suggest your boyfriend take me away for the weekend so-"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Pretty sure he wants to be, so I'm just asking you where you stand. I don't want to get in the middle of something. Besides, if you're not interested in the colonel maybe you could give him my number."

Sam blanched. "Um, well, I-"

"That's what I thought." Kerry said with a smile. "Don't look so surprised. I am with the Central Intelligence Agency for a reason. Besides, it's good to know I'm going out with a free agent this weekend. Enjoy your colonel. I'll see you later, Sam."

"Well, that went well," Sam said to herself.

Jack was in Sam's kitchen when she got home. "Hope you don't mind me sneaking in and making you dinner," he said with a smile.

"After the day I've had, dinner with you sounds perfect. I just need to not think for awhile."

"Wow, there's a sentence I never expected to hear from Sam Carter. What happened?"

Sam opened the refrigerator to get them a few drinks. "Well, Daniel is mad at me because he thinks I've chosen Joe over you, and Kerry somehow knows about us."

"Wait, the CIA agent? How?"

"Deductive reasoning and she caught you staring at me multiple times. She did help me out today. Joe wanted to take me away for the weekend."

"The weekend! Sam, you aren't going are you?"

"Of course not. I told him I was throwing you a retirement bash. Sorry, you do realize we are going to have to do one of those now, right?" Jack groaned. "I suggested he take Kerry. She agreed and I have a feeling you won't have to worry about me spending so much time with Joe from now on."

"Sounds like she did me a favor, too," Jack said as he kissed her cheek. "I don't think you were going to be able to get the information we need out of Joe anyway."

"Probably not, and if we go public at the retirement party, I won't have to hear any more lectures from Daniel."

"And, we're ready for public?" Jack asked.

"Are we not ready?" Sam countered.

"Oh, I so didn't say that. Just clarifying. For the record, I'd have never left this in the room to begin with."

Sam smiled. "It seemed like the right move at the time. I guess we've got one thing we can thank the Aschen for anyway."

"I'd like to believe we'd have found away eventually anyway, Sam. I'd have been willing to wait for years, but I'm glad we're together now. As much as I'd like to take you to the bedroom, I think we should call Daniel and Teal'c. Let's get them over here and tell them about us. We'll skip the part about you going Mata Hari on Faxon."

"Jack, I swear if you compare me to Mata Hari again, this is over before it really gets started."

Jack laughed. "I'm only teasing, Sam. Believe me, nothing makes me happier than knowing you weren't really interested in Faxon."


	4. Chapter 4

Things seemed to move at a breakneck speed for Sam after going public with her relationship with Jack. Their friends were happy for them. Their enemies brought up plenty of accusations, but none of it mattered much. By the end of the following week, the treaty with the Aschen was signed. Three months later, the stargate was common knowledge, and six months after that Sam Carter resigned from the Air Force.

It hadn't been her intention to resign exactly, but Sam was constantly noticing the lack of transparency by the Aschen and only she and Jack seemed to realize something wasn't right. She'd intended to stick it out in case her fears were proven true, because she definitely felt responsible. It had been SG1 who had made first contact. If they hadn't brought back the first Aschen representative then there would be no treaty. But, when Aschen vaccinations became mandatory for all military personnel even though Janet and her team hadn't been given the opportunity to run the extensive tests the treaty guaranteed, Sam knew it was time to give up. Daniel didn't understand her reluctance and blamed Jack. Janet was more understanding, but Sam knew leaving the program would inevitably mean leaving her friends behind. She knew she'd rarely see her father and be completely out of the loop, but the writing was on the wall. It was time to go.

There were no lucrative job offers waiting for Sam. The Aschen technology was far superior to anything Earth had to offer. Even teaching wasn't really an option. The Aschen were even infiltrating the school systems, so Sam did the one thing she never thought she would do. She joined Jack full time at the cabin. She learned to fish for the sake of fishing. She wrote memoirs and science journals that would never be published, and she waited for the illusion of peace the Aschen had created to fade, hoping she and Jack wouldn't be on walkers by the time the were needed.

It was Jack's idea to start a family. Sam had put him off on children for years. It wasn't that she didn't want to raise a family with Jack. She definitely wanted to have his children more than anything. But, his distrust of the Aschen had become her own, and she feared bringing children into an uncertain future. In the end, it was fate that decided it was time. So, here she was in the middle of her third trimester, sitting across the table from Kerry learning she and Jack had been right from the start. Talk about bad timing.

Sam went over the reports Kerry and Janet had managed to steal from the Aschen data base repeatedly as Jack and Kerry spoke. "My doctors kept telling me to keep trying, that I was fertile and it would happen in time. I believed them for three years before asking Janet to take a look. They lied. The vaccines were supposed to do this to us, and Joe knew," a broken Kerry said as she took another drink of her coffee.

"To put population control in the treaty was a bone-head move," Jack agreed.

"Population control would have been bad enough, Jack. This is genocide. They've gone way beyond the terms of the treaty," Kerry replied softly. "I feel so stupid."

"Yeah, well-"

"Jack," Sam warned. "She came for our help. Be nice."

"See, the problem is I don't think we can help. Looks like it's a little late for that. If they'd listened ten years ago, we wouldn't be in this place. I'm assuming the damage isn't reversible, is it?" Jack pointed the question at Kerry.

Kerry shook her head, "Janet doesn't believe it can be corrected. Birth rates are down ninety-nine percent in the last two years. That's world-wide. Joe said they only agreed to a thirty percent reduction in the population."

"He shouldn't have agreed to any of it," Jack said angrily. "But, I'm sorry. If it's not reversible then what's done is done. It's not like we can go back in time."

Sam's eyes shot up from the paper. "That's it! That's exactly what we can do!"

"Sam-" Jack started.

"No, Jack, we've done it before. Remember 1969? We can send a note, warn ourselves before it's too late."

"But what about our family? Our baby? This isn't our problem."

"Isn't it, Jack? Do you want our child to witness the end of civilization on Earth? I don't, not if we can stop it."

"But what about us? Our child?" Jack pleaded.

Sam reached out and took his hand. "I love you and our child more than anything, but if we are successful, this will never have happened. Do you honestly think I want to erase one minute of my life with you? I want this more than anything, Jack, but we are talking about the fate of the world here. One of our jobs as parents is to do our part to make sure our child has a safe world to grow up in. This isn't safe, Jack. Who's to say the Aschen won't do something else that costs us this child?"

"I can't do this, Sam. I won't lose you and the baby. Erasing us isn't the right option."

"You once told me you would have been willing to wait for years to be with me. Don't you think we would have found away without the Aschen? I believe in us, Jack. I believe we'd still be together."

"Look for another way, Sam."

"I will. I promise, if there's another solution, I won't rest until I find it," Sam said, kissing him softly.

"Pretty sure this is my cue to leave," Kerry said, rising from her seat. "Whatever you need to fix this, I'll find a way to get it. I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I wish we'd have listened."

Once Kerry was gone, Sam and Jack sat on the couch. They held each other, but they were silent for a long time. "We could leave," Jack said softly.

"And go where?" Sam asked. "The free jaffa? They have their own treaty with the Aschen. The Tok'ra, Edora, every ally we had took our government's seal of approval as incentive enough to join with the Aschen, Jack. And, the Asgard haven't even been heard from in years. We didn't just destroy the planet. We destroyed the galaxy. We have to fix this. I just need a better solution."

"Preferably one that doesn't wipe our child out of existence," Jack whispered gently into her hair.

"Jack, if our child is born, I won't have the strength to do what needs to be done. If we have to erase history, it has to happen before our baby comes."

"I know. Find another way."

"I'll try. I love you."

"I love you, too."

 **Yes, I realize there was quite a jump, but it was necessary I promise. There's still a lot of story left to tell. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

Daniel paced nervously around the cabin. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Janet seemed to be taking it all in stride. She and Sam were talking implications and worse case scenarios. Teal'c was silent as usual. Kerry just looked sad, and Jack was possibly angrier than he'd been a decade ago. What they were saying couldn't be true, could it? Had Jack been right all along? Did they really doom the world in their rush to protect it?

"Daniel, can you stop with the pacing already? We brought you here to help us find a solution," Jack growled. "I don't need you wearing a hole in the floor."

"What do you expect, Jack? It's not like we're a team anymore. You call us here and tell us this and we're just supposed to come up with a way to fix things. When's the last time we even talked face to face? The wedding? Jack, that was 7 years ago," Daniel paused and looked around. The others were just staring at him. "Look, I'm sorry, but this is a lot to take in. We annihilated the human race. I wish we'd never even gone to P4C-970."

"Indeed, I do not recall the last time I saw a woman with child on Chulak," Teal'c agreed. "O'Neill, I apologize for not heeding your warning."

"The thing is guys, we did go to P4-whatever and this problem is real. Sam's only working plan at the moment is sending a note back in time, stopping us from meeting the Aschen. That's a real problem for us. I don't want to erase my child. We need options," Jack replied. "Tell me somebody has an idea."

"Colonel-" Janet began.

"Jack, Janet. I'm asking as a friend. Besides, I'm retired, remember?"

"Jack, the truth is I don't think we can reverse this. My team was never given the opportunity to examine any of the vaccines, and the majority of the planet has been vaccinated by the anti-aging vaccine. I'm positive that's the one causing sterility. Even if we could convince the governments of the world to send the Aschen packing, the damage is done. I could spend the rest of my life working on a solution, but I don't think I'd ever find one. Kerry's ovaries are practically nonexistent. I don't even understand how the vaccine could have managed it, but since Kerry's visit last week, I've examined twenty-two other women and found the same results in every single case. I'm sorry," Janet said softly. "I examined Cassie, too. She is definitely infertile, Jack. I didn't have the heart to tell her just yet."

Daniel looked down at the floor, self-condemnation rolling over him. Whether Jack was willing to admit it or not, Sam's solution was the only option, and Jack and Sam would be making the biggest sacrifice of all. "I don't suppose there's any chance we would continue to exist after changing the past."

Sam shook her head. "If we succeed, none if this will have ever happened."

"Jack, I'm so sorry. Maybe if I'd listened to you, if SG1 had put out a united front-" Daniel began.

"It would have changed nothing, Daniel," Jack tried to assure him. "I don't know if I can willingly destroy my child."

"O'Neill, I have always known you to be honorable. You will do what is right," Teal'c assured him.

"How can it be right to erase my child from existence, T?"

Daniel watched as Sam put her hand on Jack's. He could see the anguish in their faces. This was a mess. He watched as Sam whispered in Jack's ear, words meant only for them. He saw the closeness between them. It was the same tenderness he and Shar'e had shared for their short time together, but Jack and Sam had shared it so much longer. He thought back to the tension between them before the Aschen, before Jack retired. They wouldn't just be losing a child. They'd be losing each other. Maybe the human race deserved what was coming. Maybe they should just leave well enough alone, but could they? Daniel really didn't know what was right anymore. All he knew was that his friends were hurting and he had played a part in causing their pain. "What if," he paused and took a breath. "What would happen if we sent a person through instead of just a note?"

Sam shook her head. "I wouldn't think cascade failure would be an issue, but, Daniel I don't think it's a good idea to have two of any of us in the same time frame. There are other ramifications-"

"Sam, what if we sent the baby? The baby didn't exist in 2000," Daniel suggested.

Sam sighed. "We would essentially be sending our child back to be an orphan. That seems almost worse."

"But, it wouldn't be an orphan, Sam. You'd be there and so would Jack. It's at least an option worth considering," Daniel implored. "Jack, can you honestly say you'd have turned away a baby with Sam ten years ago? Sent it into the system?"

"No, I wouldn't have been able to do that, but Sam and I weren't together. She was still my 2IC. It was complicated," Jack hedged.

"We are talking about sending your child back to just months before you got together. The feelings were already there, weren't they?"

"Yes, Daniel," Sam admitted, "but we weren't in any position to act on them until the Aschen came along. It could be years before the us from the past get the same chance."

"Wouldn't a baby change that?" Daniel implored.

"Well," Jack sighed, "it is much better than the alternative, Sam."

"I just hope the me from the past is receptive to the idea. Jack, you know it was just months after I suggested we leave it in the room. What if I fail you? What if I make the wrong choice?"

"You won't. I have faith in you. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but our child will have a chance to live Sam. And, the rest of the world, the galaxy, will, too. It's not the worst idea Daniel's ever had. What do you say? Want to be parents ten years ago?" Jack waggled his eyebrows suggestive and smiled for the first time since Kerry's impromptu visit.

Sam sighed and rested her hand on her abdomen. "It's the only chance our baby has, isn't it?"

Janet smiled. "Can you imagine the look on the general's face when past me gives him the DNA results?" After a brief pause, she added, "I sure miss him."

"Me too," Sam agreed. "I'm due in just over two months and we've got a lot of work to do. We need a solar flare. Kerry, can the Aschen predict those?" Kerry nodded. "Can you get us in?"

"I can," Kerry agreed with a smile.

"We'll also need a GDO and a diversion," Jack added.

"I can provide a diversion," Teal'c assured them.

"I'll get the GDO, but we'll have to tell Joe. We also need a safe way to transport the baby. The stargate is in the most secure building on the planet. It'll be dangerous," Kerry added.

"I think Sam and I could modify one of the Aschen incubators. I'm pretty sure I can get my hands on one without arousing much suspicion," Janet smiled.

"So, we're going to do this?" Daniel asked. "We're going to rewrite history and send a baby back through time?"


	6. Chapter 6

**2000, Two Weeks before First Contact**

Jack knocked on the door to Sam's lab then pushed the door open. "Carter, it's nearly 3. Have you even stopped for lunch?"

"Just trying to finish these calculations first, sir," Sam replied, barely looking up from her computer.

"Ack, no more numbers until you eat something. Come on. You are going to the commissary."

Sam sighed, "Yes, sir. Just let me save this file."

"Save away and let's go. This late, we'll be lucky if they have any cake left."

Sam laughed. Jack smiled. Things were finally getting back to normal. He and his 2IC hadn't had an easy year. It was his fault really, or maybe it was the Tok'ra's fault. Yes, he was definitely going to blame the snake heads. If it weren't for their stupid arm bands and that force field, Sam would have never known how he felt. And, that stupid test hadn't helped any. Knowing she felt the same way but they could do nothing about it was excruciating. Add in the memory stamp and it was no wonder they hadn't been able to function normally. If her laugh was any indication, maybe things were beginning to get back to normal. Jack needed normal. He missed team nights and just being able to relax in Sam's presence. Lately, it had just been awkward.

Stopping for Daniel and Teal'c on the way. Soon the team was seated at their usual table. "The weather looks good for the weekend. Anybody up for a barbecue Saturday afternoon?" Jack asked as he finished his chocolate cake.

"Jack, did you forget? I have that archeology conference in Syracuse. I leave tomorrow afternoon. I've been talking about it for weeks.," Daniel replied.

"I am going to visit my family," Teal'c said with a nod.

"Carter? You in?" Jack asked even though he already knew the answer. There was no way she'd come without the chaperones.

Sam frowned. "Sorry, sir. With all the missions on our schedule for the next few weeks, I really need to get some work done in my lab."

"On a Saturday night, Carter? You really need to get out and get a life. No working on Saturday, got it? I could make it an order."

Sam playfully rolled her eyes. "Maybe next weekend, sir. I've got a few things I need to do at the house anyway."

Jack nodded. He understood. It wasn't really safe for them to be alone so soon after their near miss on the frozen planet. If they had been there much longer going back to colonel and major would have been impossible. He really needed to stop thinking about how maybe that would have been a good thing. Stupid Daniel and his 'no consequences' suggestion during the time loop. Knowing just how receptive she could be to his kisses was very, very bad. "I understand. Maybe Janet and Cassie will be up for some charred meat," he said with a sigh. "You'll be missing out though."

At the mention of Janet and Cassie, Sam looked up at Jack. He might just have her on board after all if he could convince the doctor to tag along. "We'll see, sir."

"Fair enough, Carter. I'll see what the Napoleon power monger is up to this weekend and you see what you can do about clearing your schedule."

"Yes, sir." She smiled. It was his favorite of her smiles, too. The weekend was looking up. He needed this, and he was pretty sure she did, too. They had to find a way to get back in their groove or the team was in trouble regardless of their decision to 'keep it in the room.' With the goa'uld threat still out there, SG1 needed to be on top of their game.

"Unscheduled off-world activation, unscheduled off-world activation."

"Time to go kids," Jack said jumping out of his seat. The team rushed to the control room. General Hammond and Janet were already there.

"It's SG1, sir," Walter said, eyeing the premier team.

"Hello," Jack replied.

"How can it be?" Janet asked.

"Let's find out," General Hammond frowned. "Defense teams stand by! Open the iris."

As soon as the iris opened, a small metallic container came through the gate. "A bomb, sir?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Proceed and inspect," General Hammond ordered.

A lieutenant proceeded to the container. "There's an envelope sir. It's addressed to SG1."

Jack made his way to the embarkation room and took the envelope. Opening it, he read, "Do not go to P4C-970. The future depends on it. Take care of Dylan Charles O'Neill. And, it's my signature." Jack looked at the container again. "Carter, I've never seen anything like this. Can you get it open?"

Sam rushed to the container. "It's high tech. I've never seen anything like it." After just a moment of examination, Sam hit a switch and the container opened. "It's a baby, sir."

"I'm guessing this is Dylan," Jack said softly. "Is he okay?"

Janet joined them and began examining the infant. "He appears to be sedated. I think this is some sort of incubator. I need to get him to the infirmary and run a few tests, but he looks like your standard healthy newborn, sir."

"He looks like Charlie," Jack replied, his voice cracking a bit. "Sir, I have a feeling this is supposed to be my son somehow."

"Understood, colonel. We need to figure this out then you may join Dr. Frasier in the infirmary.

"Yes, sir."

"Alternate reality?" Daniel asked.

"Maybe," Sam replied, "but I don't think so. The stargate isn't specifically designed to be a gateway between realities. I'm not ready to rule out the possibility, but I think the note was a clue. It says the future depends on us not going to P4C-970 and I've never seen technology like this before. I think this came from the future." Looking back at General Hammond, "1969, sir. We've seen this kind of thing happen before."

"Could it be a goa'uld trick?" Hammond asked.

""Anything is possible, sir," Jack replied, "but this is definitely my handwriting." He pulled a ring from the envelope. "And, this is my grandmother's wedding ring. I think Carter is right. Something must have happened on that planet that made things bad enough I'd be willing to send my son back in time. I can't imagine what would have been bad enough for me to give up another child, but I recommend locking this gate address out of the dialing computer, sir."

"Consider it done. Colonel, you and your team join Dr. Frasier and the child in the infirmary. We'll talk as soon as the doctor has finished her assessment." He paused, "And, Jack, don't get your hopes up, son. We don't know anything concrete about this baby yet. It could still be a trick."

"Understood, sir." Jack looked at his team. "Let's go. Knowing Janet, the needles have already come out. Prepare to deal with a crying infant. If he's anything like Charlie, we are going to be wishing we had ear plugs." He pocketed his grandmother's wedding band after giving it one more close examination and set out for the infirmary to check on the boy who might be his son.


	7. Chapter 7

Janet took the baby for an MRI. Jack and Teal'c accompanied the them, so Sam and Daniel sat on a cot in the infirmary waiting. Sam's mind was racing. The implications of changing the time line were huge. She instinctively knew she must have been involved in sending the baby back in time, but why? And, how far in the future was this child born? If the colonel was Dylan's father, who was his mother? Was he dating anyone? She didn't think so, but they hadn't really spent much time together outside of work lately and he was constantly insisting she get a life. Maybe he'd already gotten one. She was the one who suggested they leave it in the room. She couldn't exactly be upset with him for moving on, could she?

"So, how are you doing?" Daniel asked, interrupting her thoughts. "I mean, this has to be weird for you."

"It's weird for all of us, Daniel. Can you imagine how the colonel is feeling right now? If this is his son, this is going to be life-changing for him."

"Yeah, life-changing for all of us, I would imagine," Daniel replied thoughtfully, "but I was talking about your feelings, Sam. How are you feeling about all of this?"

"I think it's pretty obvious he's not from an alternate reality," Sam replied cautiously. "That means something must have gone so wrong in the future that we believed the only right course of action was completely changing the timeline. What that could have been is really puzzling, and I'm guessing that we sent Dylan back because whatever we did to change the future put him at risk. I'm just wondering what happened even though I suspect it was my call not to send back too much information in the first place."

"Hmm, and I thought you were sitting here trying to figure out who Dylan's mother was."

"That's none of my business, Daniel. The colonel is my commanding officer. His personal life doesn't concern me."

"Doesn't it?" Daniel asked. Sam looked down at her hands. "Because I have a few theories personally. What if we sent Dylan back because whatever changes we were going to make to the timeline were going to endanger his existence, making it unlikely for him to be born?"

"That's a possibility, Daniel, but it's still none of my business."

"Just one question then I promise I'll drop it, Sam. If things were different and Jack were no longer your commanding officer, would you have a, um, more personal interest in Jack's, well, personal life?"

Sam looked Daniel in the eyes when she realized what he was implying. "Daniel, are you suggesting what I think your suggesting?"

"I'm just saying it's a possibility, Sam, one you might ought to at least consider before the DNA test comes back. I'm a little surprised it hasn't already occurred to you."

"Daniel," Sam warned, "even this conversation is a bad idea."

"Maybe, but you need to prepare yourself, Sam."

Sam didn't have time to respond before Jack carried a sleeping Dylan into the room. "Doc, says the MRI looked good. No bombs, so that's something. He's perfectly healthy, so Janet has agreed I can take him home for the weekend while we wait for the DNA results. Hammond agreed. As soon as the sedation wears off and the Siler returns with a car seat, we are good to go."

"That's great, Jack. You're going to need some help. I'll cancel my flight and stay with you this weekend," Daniel offered.

"No, Daniel. You don't have to do that. Go to your conference. Teal'c is looking forward to some family time, too. I told Hammond I'd get Carter to help me out until Monday."

" Me, sir? I don't have a lot of experience with babies," Sam replied weakly.

"That's okay, Carter. I think I remember enough to get us by. Hammond just thought I might need some back up. Besides, your Volvo will transport Dylan much better than my truck. It'll be fun. Finish up whatever you need to in the lab and meet me here in forty minutes. We've got to pick up a few baby necessities to get us through the weekend."

Knowing she was beaten, Sam nodded. "Yes, sir."

An hour later, Sam, Jack and Dylan were in her Volvo pulling up at a local Wal-Mart. "Carter, you mind getting the baby? I'll grab a basket." Sam unbuckled Dylan from his seat and picked him up. He'd been fussy during the car ride, but he settled down immediately once he was swaddled in her arms. "Well, that was fast. He sure didn't calm down that quickly for me. I guess I have the right helper after all."

Sam looked at Dylan's sweet face and felt her heart skip a beat. He was a beautiful baby. Instead of directly answering the colonel's comment, she simply asked, "what's on the list, sir?"

"For now, formula, bottles, diapers, a few changes of clothes, and a bassinet. We'll need a lot more after things are official, but I think the basics will do for now. Oh, let's not forget a diaper bag. Nothing girly though, Carter. I don't want to look silly."

Sam laughed. "Got it, sir. I'm sure Dylan would agree. Blues and greens and no frills." She looked back into Dylan's eyes. "What do you think, Dylan? Would your daddy look silly carrying a ruffled diaper bag?" Dylan appeared to smile. "Sir, he's smiling at me," she exclaimed.

"He's kind of little for that, Carter. I'm sure it's just gas. Well, gas or he's already as charming as his old man and knows how to impress the ladies." Jack smiled at her. It wasn't his usual smile. He seemed really excited about the prospect of being a father again. "Let's get this done. He probably won't be patient for long."

"Yes, sir."

Soon enough, they were back at Jack's. Dylan was fed and bathed. Jack insisted on putting the bassinet together himself, so Sam tried not to laugh as she rocked the sleeping infant. They both knew she could put it together much more efficiently, but it did give Sam a nice show. Once he'd finished attaching the final bolt and shaken it to make sure it was sturdy, Sam handed him Dylan and did her own inspection. "Nice work, sir. It looks safe to me."

Jack put Dylan into the bassinet. "Told you I could do it, Carter. It's not my first rodeo." He frowned. "I need to baby proof the house and buy a gun safe. Nothing is going to happen to this little guy on my watch. Well, nothing is going to happen if I get to raise him, I mean."

"Sir, I think it's pretty obvious he's your son."

"Yeah, but his mother may have other ideas. She'd be well within her rights not to let me near him after what happened."

"His mother may never even know he existed, sir. Even if Janet's test somehow miraculously matches up with a mother, which is highly unlikely, we can't tell anyone how Dylan came to be."

"About that, Sam. I have a few suspicions on that myself." Sam frowned. Maybe he was dating someone after all. "I'll just show you." Jack pulled the wedding ring from his pocket. "It was my grandmother's. I didn't have it when I married Sarah. And, it didn't have this engraving on it either."

Sam inspected the ring. Inside was the word 'always' and the symbol for Earth. "The symbol," she said quietly.

"Yeah, whoever wore this last must have been involved in the program. I have a feeling his mother will turn up in the data base. I have a suspicion on who I think she might be, but, if I'm wrong, she could be someone who doesn't want me near Dylan because of what happened to Charlie."

"You have a suspicion," Sam repeated more to herself than to Jack.

"Could be more of a hope than a suspicion," he replied, looking her in the eye. "I could be wrong. I probably shouldn't have said anything." Jack started to reach for the ring, but Sam placed it on her finger before he had the chance to retrieve it. It was a perfect fit. He smiled. "At least it looks like it fits. Mind if we do one more test?" Sam nodded. Jack left the room then returned with other ring. "This was the one I had in my drawer." He placed it on Sam's finger. It was a bit big. "It guess it had to be sized for whoever I married in the future," he said with a smile. Pocketing the ring that had arrived with Dylan, he added, "but it sure was a perfect fit."

Sam took a deep breath in. "We probably shouldn't talk about this just yet, sir," she replied.

"Probably not, Carter, but it might come up soon. I don't want it to be a big shock for you if I'm right. We don't know what happened in their future, and it doesn't have to happen in ours."

"But, the way our year has gone, it seems like a possibility that future us might have explored under different circumstances."

"Exactly, Carter."

Sam looked back down at the sleeping infant and touched his cheek. She desperately hoped he was her son.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam quietly crept into Jack's room at 6 the next morning. Jack was sound asleep, but Dylan was just beginning to stir. "Hey, little man," she whispered. "You kept your daddy up a lot last night. What do you say you come with me for awhile?"

Carrying Dylan into the kitchen to make a bottle, Sam couldn't help but examine his features. She was desperately looking for something that he could have only gotten from her, but Dylan was the spitting image of his father. Sam smiled. He really was an amazing baby. She didn't have much experience with little ones, but she was pretty sure he was just a whole lot better than average.

Sam had just settled in on the couch to feed the baby when Jack woke up. "I was trying to let you sleep, sir. I know this little guy kept you up last night. Were we making too much noise?"

"No, Carter. You know I live on Air Force time. Can't sleep late if I try. You two look comfortable."

Sam smiled. "He's a really good baby."

"Not so good at 0300," Jack grumbled. "He wasn't very happy when he woke up wet and hungry."

"We can move the bassinet to the guest room tonight, sir. I'll take a turn."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that, Carter. Well, not until we know for sure he's yours anyway."

"You didn't ask, I offered. Besides, I'm pretty sure that's why Hammond insisted I help you this weekend."

Jack sighed, "yeah, about that, Carter. Hammond might not have exactly insisted. I may have just informed him you were going to help me and he didn't protest."

Sam's eyes grew wide and she managed to mouth the word oh, but no sound came out. This was unexpected. The colonel had made it sound like her staying with him was an order.

"Don't be mad, Carter. I just knew if he turned out to be yours, you'd be disappointed that you missed this time. I guess it was maybe a little presumptuous on my part."

Sam smiled. "Presumptuous, sir?"

Jack rolled his eyes and looked offended. "I do know a few big words, Carter. Anyway, I just thought I should fess up."

Sam raised the baby to her chest to burp him. "I understand, sir. If he's mine I would have felt guilty for missing this weekend." She looked down at Dylan. "Right now, I'm more worried about being disappointed if he's not."

"I can't imagine having him with anyone else, Sam. My feelings haven't changed."

"Mine haven't either, but our circumstances haven't exactly changed either, sir." Sam put a little extra emphasis on the sir, but she wasn't sure if it was for her benefit or for the colonels.

Jack sat beside her. "Haven't they? I think he changes them just be virtue of being born."

"Born in the future then transported by us to the past. This is pretty complicated." Sam sighed. "I just can't imagine how bad things were for us to be willing to give this up and send him to a time where this isn't even possible."

"Sam, I'm pretty sure you overthought this in the future, too. Don't you think you'd have come up with another option if one existed?"

Sam nodded. "What are we going to do now? He's here. He is definitely yours, and he might possibly be mine. How are we going to make this work? The war is still going on out there."

"I'm retiring," Jack replied. "This is my second chance. I'm not going to blow it. I don't want to miss anything."

"Will you let me spend time with him?"

"Oh, Sam, you're his mother. I'm sure of it. Seeing that ring on your finger was all the DNA test I needed. I'm not asking you to give him to me. We'll raise him together. We can do that as friends or we can see where things could go between us. That's your call."

"I can't imagine going out there without you, sir," Sam whispered.

"You'll be fine. Now, hand me the baby and get dressed. We need to go out to breakfast. If we sit her and talk about this much longer, I'm going to end up with a court martial. Just watching you feed our son was a real turn on."

Sam giggled. "Good thing I wasn't breastfeeding."

Jack groaned. "You're killing me, Sam. I so did not need that image in my head." Sam giggled again as she went off to change. "Whatever happened to the no giggling rule, major?"

They went to a little café for breakfast. Thankfully, Dylan was content to sleep in his carrier beside Sam. When he did stir, she would comfort him by simply putting her hand on his own. "I think it's pretty obvious you're his favorite," Jack said with a smile. "He always calms down faster for you. We should probably put the nursery at your house."

Sam frowned. "I think he's better off at your house, sir. If you retire and I'm still going off-out of town on business, he will be better off with you full-time. I'll still want to be a big part of his life though. I don't want him growing up without a mother, and I don't want to miss this. You'll have to keep me in check. Long hours in the lab will have to stop."

"Or, and this is just a thought, you could both stay with me. I've got enough bedrooms. We could keep it platonic for awhile."

"I don't know about that," Sam said under her breath. "What I mean is I'm not sure that type of living arrangement would go over well with the brass."

"When I'm retired, it won't matter," Jack said matter-of-factly. "Won't be any of their business anymore."

"We'll see. We have to get through Monday first."

"Yeah, and Monday is still a few days away. Maybe I should get the doc to bring Cassie over for that barbeque tonight after all. Cassie can check out the new little guy and we can not spend Saturday night worrying about feelings."

At that idea, Sam smiled. For someone who never wanted to talk about his feelings, the colonel sure seemed chatty today. And, the baby probably wouldn't be a good enough reason for her not to kiss him senseless if he kept talking about their possible future. "I think that's a great idea, sir."

"Come on, Sam. You have to cut the sirs and call me Jack. We're out alone with our baby for crying out loud."

"Sir," Sam said with emphasis, "it's precisely because we are alone that I have to remember your rank. Neither of us is very strong at the moment."

Jack sighed. "Point taken, Carter. This is hard. I wish Janet could rush the results."

"That's not actually a bad idea, sir. If we tell her our suspicions then maybe she could specifically test my DNA against Dylan's. We could know by tonight if I call her now and she's willing to go back to the infirmary."

"Do it. Please, just call her," Jack replied. "I really need you to be as sure as I am."

Janet and Cassie arrived at 5 for the barbeque. Sam answered the door since Jack was already grilling the steaks. Cassie rushed past her to Dylan's bassinet. "Well?" Sam asked before Janet even had time to fully walk in the door.

"I'll tell you and the colonel together," Janet replied, so Sam led her to the back deck. "I did as you asked and I have the results. I'll wait and give the general an official report on Monday. It's not going to be fun telling him two members of his premier team have a son." Janet smiled. "Congratulations, he's most definitely yours."


	9. Chapter 9

Sunday morning, it was Jack's turn to creep in on Sam. The sight before him was breathtaking. There on the guest bed was Sam in what he believed to be the infamous tank top. Her eyes were closed and the baby was asleep on her chest. He just stared for a moment. In front of him was everything he wanted. When Dylan started to stir, he carefully picked up his son. "There, there, Dylan. Let Mommy sleep. You know, most daddies get to sleep with the mommies before having to share her with a kid. I'm a little jealous," he whispered.

"I'm not actually asleep, sir," Sam said, smiling but not opening her eyes. "And, we've shared a tent many times."

"So not the same Carter." Jack smirked just as Sam's eyes opened. He knew he should really look away and let her at least get on some pants, but he was mesmerized. When Sam pulled the blanket over herself, Jack forced himself to make eye contact. "I was trying to let you sleep. Sorry for disturbing you." Silently he added, "and staring at all that exposed skin."

"I appreciate The gesture, sir. Dylan had a tummy ache. I read that stomach to stomach contact sometimes soothes babies, and it worked." Sam yawned. "I wish I'd thought of it about an hour and a half earlier. I guess I fell asleep with him. I'm sorry, sir. I know that's a habit we don't want to get started."

"Sam, cut the sorries and the sirs. When it comes to Dylan, we are on equal footing. We're co-parents here. If you want to hold him while he sleeps, do it."

"This is still pretty complicated, isn't it? I'm sure future us had it easier. Or, I hope they had some sort of relationship before he was in the picture. You don't think they contracted another virus, do you?"

"I think we'll never know, so you shouldn't worry about it. Personally, I'm just glad they got their act together and this little guy exists."

"Me too. It is weird though. I mean we've only kissed once and I wasn't exactly myself. And, suddenly, we're parents."

Jack looked at Sam sheepishly. "Twice. We've kissed twice."

"I'm talking about us, not you and my alternate. That one definitely doesn't count, and Jonah and Thera only came close to kissing," Sam said in a tone that let Jack know she had been more miffed by the kiss with Dr. Carter than she'd let on.

Realizing coming clean was probably safer with Dylan in his arms, Jack decided it was as good a time as any to fess up. "Remember the time loop a few months ago?"

"You kissed me?"

"I did. No consequences, remember? And, you kissed me back for the record."

"I don't know what to say," Sam replied.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. I guess you have every right to be a little angry. In the mean time, this little guy needs a diaper."

"I'm not angry. I'm, well, I think I'm jealous. You know what it's like and I'm still waiting." In a more serious tone, she added, "you don't have memories of anything else I need to know about, do you?"

"It was just a kiss, a glorious kiss in front of General Hammond, but just a kiss," he said with a smirk before carrying Dylan out of the room.

He could hear Sam shuffling into a pair of sweat pants as he walked away. She definitely wanted to know more, but he thought it might be more fun to keep the details to himself for a bit. Maybe soon he could give her a proper demonstration.

Sam was still pulling her t-shirt over her head when she made it into the room. "In front of General Hammond?"

"Yep, what do you want for breakfast, Sam? I'm thinking pancakes. I make great pancakes." Jack continued changing Dylan but glanced back at his flustered 2IC and smiled.

"Pancakes are fine, but the general, sir?"

"Oh, don't worry, Carter. I resigned first. Maybe I'll give you an encore performance when I retire tomorrow."

Sam's eyes grew wide. "I think maybe I'll just take your word for it. Making out in front of the base commander doesn't seem like the best career move." She walked up beside him. "But, it's still not fair that you have the memory and I don't." She very tentatively kissed him on the lips. It wasn't a hungry, demanding kiss, but it was probably the most sensual kiss Jack had ever received. It was full of promise. It was also full of interruption as Dylan decided he was ready for his breakfast and babies are never patient. Sam broke away and took Dylan. "I'll feed this one. You go start those pancakes."

There was no more kissing. They even managed to completely avoid the topic of kissing as the day wore on, but Jack certainly couldn't stop thinking about it. This was real. They were going to give things a try. They just needed to get their ducks in a row then Jack would see to it that there was plenty of kissing. In fact, Jack was pretty sure he'd just found a new favorite pass time.

After dropping off Dylan with Ferretti's wife the next morning, Jack and Sam went straight to the general's office. "Colonel, major, have a seat. I have already been debriefed by Dr. Frasier. I'm assuming you've had time to discuss options."

"Options, sir? I'm only seeing one viable option. He's our son. We'll raise him," Jack replied.

The general nodded. "That's what I expected you to say. On a personal note, congratulations. He's a lucky little boy. Now, on a professional note, we have a bit of a sticky situation here. We can't exactly tell people how he came to be, and SG1 has their share of enemies in high places."

"Yes, sir. We realize this is a little complicated," Sam agreed, "but he is our son and the note said we were to take care of him."

"If I may, sir," Jack began, "I think I can uncomplicate this pretty quickly. This is my letter of resignation. I'm retiring again, for good this time."

The general didn't reach for the letter. Instead, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, son. I can't let you do that right now."

"But sir-" Jack began.

"No, colonel. Besides being too valuable to the program, it would not look good for the SGC. We need to handle the politics of this situation before I can allow you to retire. It's not negotiable, son."

"Sir, what about me? I could resign my commission and stay on as a contractor," Sam suggested.

"I don't think I was clear enough, major. I can't accept either of your resignations at this time. We can, however,work on getting Dylan a birth certificate and the two of you can make decisions regarding which home he will reside in."

Jack sighed. "And, if we think he should reside with both of us, sir?"

"Unless you are talking about moving him back and forth between your separate houses, I'm afraid that won't be acceptable. I will not be separating the team until we know all of the political ramifications are properly handled. This weekend was one thing but permanently moving in with your 2IC is not an option, Colonel." Softening his voice, the general continued, "I really do understand how you feel. Your feelings haven't been that well hidden, but you need to give me some time. Once we deal with whatever Kinsey intends to throw at us, we'll revisit this conversation. For now, I have no problem with you spending more time together in order to better care for your son, but you must adhere to Air Force regulations. Do you understand?"

Sam answered first. "Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir, but I still intend to retire as soon as possible."

"Noted, colonel. I understand you've found a sitter."

"Ferretti's wife is watching him during the day," Jack responded.

"Perhaps Dr. Frasier would be willing to watch him overnight when you are needed off-world," the general suggested. "I'll do my best to limit SG1's schedule for the next few months until we can get this properly handled, but I need you to give me some time. You are dismissed. Take a few days off. Figure out living arrangements for your son, and report back on Wednesday morning."


	10. Chapter 10

Sam sighed as she and Jack left the general's office. Jack was angry. She could see it all over him, and she was grateful they didn't have to spend the day stuck on base. They needed to figure out a new plan.. "Let's not pick up Dylan just yet. We need to make a plan," she suggested.

Jack nodded. "I have one. I'm going to go to Washington and have a little talk with Kinsey."

"Pretty sure that won't end well. We can make this work a little longer."

"Fine. My house or yours?"

"Mine's closer," Sam replied.

They'd barely made it into Sam's house before she took his hand and pulled him to her couch. She was pleased when he came willingly, so she squeezed in beside him and put his arm around her shoulders. "For the next few minutes, we are going to pretend today went as planned. I'm going to kiss you, Jack. You are going to kiss me back then when we get up from this couch, we are going to do our best to be as professional as two people who share a child can be until we don't have to be professional anymore."

"Sam, I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Jack groaned. "I don't know if I can handle a taste then go back to business as usual."

"I don't think I can deal with what we have to do without a taste, Jack. We need this."

"You do realize you're talking about doing something that could get us a court martial, right?"

"Jack, Kinsey's going to try and do that anyway. I don't think I care so much anymore." When he nodded, Sam gently kissed him. He quickly returned the kiss and soon it became passionate. They explored each other's mouths for several minutes before finally breaking apart for air.

"That was way better than the time loop."

Sam laughed. "Good to know."

"But, unless we are going to take this a whole lot further, we have got to stop," Jack growled. His eyes were dark, and Sam knew he was barely holding on to his composure so she kissed him gently on the cheek and scooted away.

They just sat in silence for a few minutes with only their hands touching. Once they'd regained their composure, Sam turned and looked him in the eyes. "I want this. I want us to be a family more than anything, but we have to try and do this General Hammond's way and trust that it'll be over soon." Jack nodded. "We need a plan for Dylan. I'm sure Janet can handle any overnight trips we take, but we need to decide where he should stay the rest of the time. I'm thinking setting up a nursery at both houses is our best plan. We'll have team nights a few times a week, so we can enjoy him together. Daniel and Teal'c will be willing to act as our chaperones."

"When exactly did you come up with this plan? Not while we were kissing, I hope. I'd like to think I can make you a little bit senseless."

Sam giggled. "The car ride. I couldn't have multitasked a few minutes ago if I'd tried, Jack."

"And, that's another thing. Off base, I can't be the colonel or sir. I'm Jack. You're Sam."

Sam nodded. "Agreed. But, we will have to keep ourselves in check. I'm not going to pretend I don't want to kiss you every time you walk in the room, but we can't actually kiss either. Think we can walk this line?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed begrudgingly. "I think we don't have much of a choice for now. But, I won't do this long, Sam. I want you and Dylan in my house permanently as soon as humanly possible. From now on, I'm calling the guest room your room. We'll turn the other room into a nursery."

"The guest room is bigger and closer to yours. It's the better choice for Dylan. Besides, when I move into your house, I'm not sleeping in the guest room, Jack."

Jack groaned again. "You're killing me, Sam."

"Let's go get our son, Jack, then we'll set up the nurseries."

They worked at setting up Dylan's room at Sam's for the rest of the day. Clearing out Sam's spare room was pretty easy since it only had a bed that her dad occasionally used and a couple of night stands. They were just finishing the last details when Daniel called.

"Your dad is here, Sam. The general just briefed him on our new arrival and he wants to meet his grandson. Do you want me to bring him over?"

"Thanks, Daniel. That would be great. We're pretty worn out, and I'd hate to get Dylan out tonight."

"No problem, Sam. See you in a few minutes."

Once Sam hung up the phone, Jack looked her direction. "So, Dad's coming. This should be interesting."

"The general has filled him in. It'll be fine," Sam said with a bit more optimism than she actually felt. Explain this to her dad was easy enough, but how was she going to explain Dylan to Mark? As if having a top secret job wasn't complicated enough, now she had a top secret baby to go with it.

When Jacob arrived, Jack was changing Dylan so Sam opened the door. "So, I hear you've had an eventful couple of days, Sam," Jacob said as he hugged his daughter. "Where's my newest grandson?"

"Right here," Jack confirmed as he carried the baby into the room.

Jacob took Dylan into his arms and gave him a once over. "Looks like you, Jack," he smiled at the baby. "Well, this is definitely not what I expected when I came through the gate. I'll admit I had my suspicions when I first saw the two of you together in DC, but I didn't expect them to be confirmed this way."

"Dad, General Hammond did explain how we got Dylan, right?"

"Oh, it wasn't an accusation, Sam. I know you're both committed to the fight. I also spoke to Anise recently. I'm sure we can safely assume this little guy came along at a time when the regulations were no longer an issue. What I don't quite understand is what you were thinking sending him here now. I'm guessing things must have gotten pretty bad in his time frame to risk sending him to a time when you were still in the same chain of command."

"Sadly, the note was very lacking in details," Jack stated.

"I'm sure. Now, the question is what are you going to do now?"

"I tried to retire, but Hammond wouldn't accept my resignation yet. You should know that I have every intention of resubmitting it frequently until he agrees then I plan on spending my life with Sam and the baby. I hope that won't be a problem for you, Jake."

"What kind of grandfather would I be if I sided against my grandson having both his parents, Jack? If that was your way of asking for my blessing, you have it. Just don't do anything stupid in the mean time. Kinsey is already pushing for an investigation. You two are going to have to really watch yourselves for awhile."

"We know, Dad," Sam assured him.

"Good. Since that's settled, I want you to know I assured George you guys would have the Tok'ra's support. The government isn't going to want to risk their allies. I'd suggest you contact Thor, as well. You guys are going to need all the help you can get," he paused and looked at Jack. "Don't do anything stupid in the mean time. Play by the rules."

"We'll do our part. You haven't told us why you came, Jacob. What's going on?"

"Believe it or not, Jack. This was a social call. Selmak and I have to go under deep cover for awhile. I wanted to spend some time with my family first. By the looks of things, it's a good thing I stopped by. I'll be out of pocket for awhile. I'm glad I get to see this little guy first."

"I have to admit, you're taking this better than I expected," Jack said, shaking his head.

"Oh, I'm crying on the inside," Jacob teased. "She could do better, you know."

"I'm well aware."

"But, she could do a lot worse. You're a good man, Jack. Take care of my girl."


	11. Chapter 11

The next few weeks became somewhat routine. They'd alternate nights with Dylan and spend as much time together as acceptable. It wasn't really enough for Jack, but he was surviving. He definitely couldn't wait until they were no longer in the same chain of command. Kinsey's minions had already started their investigation, or witch hunt, as Jack saw it. The general kept assuring them no charges could stick, but Jack figured with SG1's luck, Kinsey would drag things out for a long time.

They'd managed to avoid any overnight trips until six days ago. Not that this trip was supposed to last this long, but the goa'uld had managed to screw them again. This time, they were stranded in a goa'uld pleasure palace addicted to some crazy opium-like drug the light room gave off. All of SG5 were dead, and Daniel had been at death's door before Janet had him bring Daniel back to the planet. He and Sam weren't going to see their son for another 15 days. It was the absolute soonest they'd be safe to leave. Neither of them were coping well. Sam had said she wasn't sure she was going to survive the "Dylan withdrawals" and Jack agreed. That little guy had them both wrapped around his finger.

Daniel spent most of his time doing translations, and Loran, the kid they'd met there, followed Daniel around trying to assist him. Jack was pretty sure the kid's explorer parents had been archeologists, because Loran just loved helping Daniel. That was fine by Jack. Of course, Daniel had come up with one idea Jack considered truly inspired. They'd just realized they were stuck on the planet for three weeks when Daniel pulled him aside.

"Listen, Jack, I know you love Dylan and you're going to miss him, but think of this as kind of a unique opportunity. You and Sam can spend some time together."

"Daniel, you know we're still technically in the same chain of command and Kinsey's already suspicious," Jack began.

"I know. I get it, but you won't be for much longer and I'm certainly not going to say anything."

"We'd never ask you to lie for us."

"You're not asking. Besides, I'll be so busy translating I won't even notice, and Loren is just a kid. Think about it, Jack. Most couples don't start out with a ready-made family. You guys need to take advantage of this time to really get to know each other."

"We've worked together for four years, Daniel."

"That's just it. You've worked together. It's so not the same as being in a relationship. Think about it."

Well, Jack had done more than think about it. He mentioned it to Sam, and she agreed with Daniel. They decided to spend as much time together as possible, but they agreed they needed to also adhere to the regulations so they wouldn't have to lie to Kinsey's goons. They'd talked about everything. He knew all about her mom and the impact her death had on the family. He knew enough about Hansen to wish he was alive just so he could kill him. He'd told Sam all about Charlie. She now knew Charlie's favorite pizza topping, that his favorite book was _Where the Wild Things Are,_ and that Jack used to sneak in to Charlie's room at night just to watch him sleep. Jack had even told her details about his time as a POW that he'd never shared with anyone. Jack was sure of one thing. As soon as he could, he was putting his grandmother's ring back on Sam's finger.

Jack was waiting on a supply delivery from the SGC when the stargate came to life. He'd asked for a small grill and some steaks. MREs for three weeks didn't appeal to anyone. "Got my steaks, general?" Jack asked as the first crate appeared.

"Yes, colonel. We've sent a few things to make you more comfortable," the general paused, "I've also sent a document requiring your signature and Major Carter's. Senator Kinsey has requested Dylan be handed over to the NID. He's trying to claim that since the child came from the future and you and Major Carter are currently off-world, the child has been effectively abandoned twice. They want to use him for research purposes. The claim is that since the Asgard regard you as advanced and Major Carter was a host there could be residual effects on your son."

"General, you know that's not true. We didn't abandon Dylan. If it weren't for Kinsey's investigation, we wouldn't even be in this mess. I'd be retired and with Dylan right now. And, Janet herself said Dylan has no naqueda in his blood. He's a normal little boy. Kinsey's just trying to mess with my family."

"I know, son. I also know that you stayed to help me deal with the political fallout. I'm not letting them touch Dylan. Dr. Frasier and I have a plan. The papers I sent are temporary guardianship papers giving Dr. Frasier custody of Dylan until you return. I've taken the liberty of having them predated to the day you left on this mission."

"And, these papers will keep Kinsey and the NID from getting their hands on Dylan?"

"The papers and my highly armed SFs will protect your son. You have my word, Jack. Talk to Major Carter, get those documents signed, and I'll handle the rest. Dr. Frasier has moved into VIP quarters for the moment. Teal'c is assisting with his care. Dylan will not leave this base until you return. You have my word."

Jack sighed. "Thank you, sir. We'll send the paperwork through as soon as I explain the situation to Carter."

As soon the gate shut down, Jack grabbed the custody papers and went to find Sam. She was in the light room decreasing the settings when he arrived. "Did you get the grill?" Sam asked with a smile.

"I did. No MREs tonight." Jack sat down beside where Sam was working. "We need to talk."

Sam put down her screwdriver and turned toward Jack. "What's going on, Jack? You're scaring me. Is Dylan okay?"

"Dylan is fine. He's safe and sound under guard at the SGC, Sam."

"Why is our son at the mountain?"

Jack handed Sam the papers. "Kinsey is trying to claim we abandoned Dylan. He sent the NID after him. Hammond seems to think giving Janet temporary custody and sequestering Dylan at the SGC is the best way to protect him until we get home. I think he's right," Jack said with a frown.

"Unbelievable! We're here doing our jobs, obeying the regulations, separated from our child because of our commitment to our country, and he thinks he can just take our child!" Sam shouted. "We've got to go home."

"Sam, you said yourself it would take three weeks to detox. Remember what happened to SG5. We have to trust the general and Janet. Besides, I'm pretty sure Teal'c could take anyone who tried to get Dylan. We need to sign the papers and send them back to Hammond," Jack replied softly. "I promise, after we get home, things are going to change whether Kinsey's investigation is over or not. We aren't going off-world at the same time again."

"You're right. I just feel so helpless. I miss him, Jack. I know I didn't carry him for nine months, but he's my son. I just want to protect him."

Jack pulled Sam into his arms and held her for a long time while she sobbed. Once she was slightly more relaxed, they signed the papers and sent them back to the base. After Jack grilled the steaks, he and Sam slipped away with their plates to a quieter place down the beach. "I'm finished with the waiting, Jack," Sam sighed, leaning against Jack's side.

"Not much longer. I promise," Jack breathed into her hair.

Sam raised her eyes to meet Jack's. "No, I'm finished now. I want us. Stay with me tonight."

"Sam," he pleaded, "you're career is on the line here. We can hold out a little longer."

"We've waited long enough," she whispered before covering his lips with her own. Jack was lost in the sensation. The longer they kissed, the more he had to agree. They'd waited long enough. What Kinsey didn't know wouldn't hurt them.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam woke up early the next morning, but she didn't bother moving. Jack was still sound asleep beside her. His arm was still around her waist and she could feel every breath he took against her neck. Sleeping beside Jack felt very natural. Their make out session was still very fresh in her mind. How he'd managed to kiss her so passionately for so long before stopping them from completely crossing every line was beyond her, but, in the morning light, Sam was grateful he had been strong enough for both of them. It certainly wasn't the regs that concerned them at this point. Kinsey's last little stunt had destroyed any loyalties to those regulations. But, Sam's birth control shot was due and they really didn't need an unplanned pregnancy as proof they hadn't adhered to protocol. Besides, it was important to both of them that Dylan got his chance to be the baby before he became the big brother.

The next few weeks were going to be excruciating. Besides missing Dylan, now they'd constantly be worrying about his safety. Sam knew their friends would do everything they could, but she really needed to be there herself. She even briefly considered requesting the general send Dylan to them. She was fairly certain he wouldn't be affected by the light, and when they were finished with detox, they could always just go AWOL and join the Tok'ra or Bra'tac or just find some secluded planet with a nice pond where Jack could fish. She made the mistake of mentioning that plan to Jack. He'd laughed at her and suggested that maybe she'd turned down the machine a little bit to quickly. Sam knew it wasn't logical, but her need to protect her son was strong. She thought she finally understood why the future her had agreed to change the timeline. She'd do anything to keep Dylan safe.

"You're thinking too loud, Sam. I can't sleep," Jack muttered before placing several kisses up and down her neck.

Sam smiled, "Sorry, I was just thinking about Dylan."

"I know. It's hard to be away from them when they're this little, but he'll never remember any of this. Don't worry. Janet will make sure he's well taken care of until we get home, and Teal'c won't be far away. He'll be okay.

"I think we should ask Janet to be his godmother. I'd feel better if something was firmly place just in case. What do you think?"

"Sure. I trust the doc. We can always make the guys honorary godfathers," Jack agreed. "Of course, I think there's one more pretty important legal matter we need to handle as soon as we're finished with Kinsey."

Sam gave Jack a puzzled look. They already had Dylan's birth certificate. Once Kinsey's investigation was settled and Jack was retired, they'd be free of the regs. She couldn't think of anything else that could cause them any trouble. Jack smiled at her and got out of bed. He got down on one knee. "Samantha Carter, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Sam said, kissing him after each yes. "Nothing would make me happier."

"Good. That's the first thing on the agenda when this mess is sorted. Of course, first thing on my agenda right now is breakfast. You hungry?"

Sam nodded and they went to find something to eat. Their remaining days in the palace were spent together. There was lots of time spent just enjoying this new found closeness. There was also time spent planning their future and dreaming about their little family. The SGC kept them apprised on the Kinsey situation, and Janet assured them Dylan was doing just fine. Teal'c even videoed Dylan eating peas for the first time and sent them a copy. They were still extremely grateful when the day came that they could go home. Sam was finishing packing the last of her equipment when the SGC dialed in.

"We're just finishing up here, general," Jack said into the radio.

"Very good, colonel. I look forward to the debrief. We'll expect you at 1400. I'm sending the hygrometer Major Carter requested."

Sam stopped her packing and looked up at Jack. She didn't need a hygrometer. There was absolutely no reason to measure the water vapor in the air of a defunct pleasure palace that they never intended to return to in the future. Something must be wrong. She quickly regained her composure. "Thank you, general. The measurements shouldn't take long."

"I hope not, major. I sincerely hope not, but you never can tell about these things. It's important to do them correctly and not leave any loose ends. Good luck, SG1. Hammond out."

The hygrometer box came through the gate. Sam, Jack, and Daniel gathered around as Sam opened the box. Inside was a note. Sam took the note and read it. "Do not come home. Report to the Alpha site. Teal'c and Dylan will be waiting for you. I've arranged for your father to meet you at another location. I'll send word when it is safe to return. And, Jack, consider yourself officially retired. Sam, I'm putting a notation in your file that you and Dr. Jackson are on loan to the Tok'ra. Teal'c will explain the rest. Godspeed." Sam handed the note back to Jack. She didn't know what to say.

"I guess we won't be going home today, after all," Jack said with a frown. "Let's finish loading this stuff up and get to the Alpha site. I'd like to know exactly what Kinsey's pulled this time, and we need to see our son."

 **I know this chapter is pretty short. It's kind of a set up for the next part of our story. Probably not many chapters left in this one folks. Thanks for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as they exited the event horizon at the Alpha site, Sam rushed to Teal'c, who was holding Dylan in one arm and his staff weapon in the other. The baby gurgle happily as she held him. He looked like he'd grown quite a bit in the last month. Sam didn't recognize the little outfit he was wearing, and she was sure she had Janet to thank for the 'My mommy wears combat boots' onsie he was wearing. Jack was quickly at her side, and once she'd gotten in a final cuddle, she passed him their son.

"As heartwarming as this family reunion is," Colonel Reeves, the Alpha site's commander, began, "I think we better move inside and debrief. You guys need to be gone ASAP. I really don't want a surprise visit from anyone looking for Teal'c and the kid while you're on my base."

Once they were seated in the mess hall with Dylan back in Sam's arms, Teal'c spoke. "I have fulfilled my promise, O'Neill. Your son is safely in your care."

"Thank you, Teal'c. We are very grateful, but we definitely have some questions," Jack said with a nod.

"Teal'c definitely did his job, Jack. He hasn't put Dylan down since he arrived. He's just stood there watching the stargate, waiting for your arrival. He never even put down his staff weapon. I know you have questions. Let's see if I can clear things up a bit for you, Jack. You'll be relieved to know Kinsey's investigation has come to a close. They decided they couldn't hold whatever future you did to create Dylan against you," Colonel Reeves responded.

"Yet, we are sitting here and not at the SGC," Jack replied.

"Very astute as always, Jack. Kinsey countered that since the two of you couldn't be held responsible for Dylan's birth and since Dylan did arrive via the stargate, he was essentially government property."

"Property?" Sam gasped. "He's a child. He's not property. And, we are his biological parents, sir."

"You're preaching to the choir, major. Remember, I'm on your side, so is Hammond and probably everyone else at the SGC, for that matter. When it became obvious we were headed for a stalemate, the general decided to stage a little kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?" Jack asked.

"O'Neill, I kidnapped your child from Dr. Frasier and brought him here. Do not be alarmed. Dr. Frasier and General Hammond are aware," Teal'c responded. "You're government now considers me a shol'va, but I am loyal to you."

"We appreciate that, Teal'c," Sam said, squeezing Dylan just a little tighter.

"Well, technically it was Hammond and Frasier's idea, Teal'c. You're no traitor and I'm sure the general will clear your name," Colonel Reeves added. "Kinsey is awfully sure this boy is valuable. He seems to be of the impression the Asgard will be interested enough in him to exchange him for technology. Sadly, there are some in our government who agree. You guys are to meet General Carter on P3X-898. He's going to help you get a message to the Asgard. That's the reason you are now retired, Jack. As just an average citizen, you aren't under the same rules the Air Force follows. If you could convince your gray buddies to give you and Dylan asylum, or better yet, some type of citizenship then the United States government wouldn't be able to touch him without endangering the treaty."

"What about Sam?" Jack asked.

"The rest of SG1 is on special assignment to the Tok'ra for the duration. On a personal note, I'd marry her quickly, Jack. Protect your whole family," Reeves added.

"Kind of hard to do since we can't go home," Jack frowned.

"Dr. Frasier and I procured some of your things. She insisted we bring the ring," Teal'c said with a nod.

"Off-world marriages have happened before," Daniel agreed. "Shar'e," he added wistfully.

"That could work," Jack agreed.

Sam's eyes bugged out. She couldn't believe their marital status was being discussed in a briefing. She certainly wasn't opposed to the idea, but it would be nice if the idea was theirs. "Why don't we table that part of the discussion for now," she said, giving Jack a look. "I believe you said we were to meet my dad soon, Colonel Reeves."

"Yes, you guys report to the infirmary and as soon as we are sure the light is out of your system, you need to get moving. Don't worry about the boy," he said looking over at Loran. "We'll see that he's settled somewhere safe. The kid deserves some normalcy."

"Thanks, Reeves. You're a good man," Jack said shaking the other colonel's hand.

"You've done your part to keep the world safe, Jack. Happy to help you protect your family. Dismissed."

A short time later, SG1 and Dylan arrived on P3X-898 to meet Jacob. Jacob had already arrived. "Good to see you've made it," he said before hugging his daughter and grandson. The natives are friendly. I have us rooms at the local inn for the night. I thought we could catch up a bit and discuss how we are going to get in touch with the Asgard."

"I wouldn't mind staying in a nice room that isn't part of an abandoned pleasure palace for the night," Sam agreed. "As for getting in touch with Thor, I already have an idea."

Jack's eyebrows raised. "Do tell," he said with a smirk.

Sam knew he wasn't the least bit surprised that she had a plan, so she returned his smirk before continuing. "Cimmeria. We could contact Thor from there."

Jacob shook his head. "What if they've fixed Thor's hammer? Teal'c and I better not go with you."

"We could make contact and send a message for him to meet us here. Jack, Daniel, and I could make the trip then return here once the message is sent."

"It's Jack now, is it?" Jacob said with a half smile.

"Officially retired as of about four hours ago, Jacob," Jack assured him.

"Good to know. I guess I should give you the 'if you hurt her speech', but I'm pretty sure you know Selmak and I have many ways to kill you so we'll skip it for now."

"I'll do my best to make her happy as long as she's willing to put up with me," Jack promised.

"Don't worry, Dad. If he hurts me, I'm more than capable of handling his punishment all by myself," Sam added with a grin. "This little guy is getting a little tired. Maybe we should head to the inn."

Once Sam, Jack, and Dylan were settled in their room, Sam sighed a contented sigh. "This is much better. I can't believe how much I've missed this little guy."

Jack cuddled up beside Sam and Dylan. "I know. We might not be home, but at least we're together. We'll reach the Asgard and get this mess sorted out, Sam, then I want you and Dylan with me permanently. Reeves did have a point earlier today. Maybe we should take advantage of this little excursion and get married. Your dad is here. The guys are here. What do you think?"

"I think I like discussing this privately much better than discussing it in a briefing. In the briefing, I couldn't do this," Sam said as she kissed him. "Let's do it. Let's get married."


	14. Chapter 14

Teal'c and Jacob were waiting impatiently when Jack, Sam, and Daniel returned from Chimera. "I was about ready to send out a rescue mission," Jacob grumbled as he handed his grandson back to Sam.

"Believe me, I'd have liked to get that finished a whole lot sooner," Jack grimaced. "Sam had to rewire the interface before we could send out a message. But, we got him. Thor is on his way. He's coming back to Earth with us. He said he'd like to have a word with our leaders himself."

"That's a relief. So, I take it he's willing to help," Jacob replied.

"Yep, he's helping. As a matter of fact, I have just been given a new job. You're looking at the Asgard's liaison for human relations for the entire Milky Way galaxy."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I guess I was just given citizenship, well, dual-citizenship. Basically, the Asgard want me to travel to the planets under their treaty occasionally and check in with them. The good news for us is that Dylan is automatically protected as my son. And, if the government tries to take him away, the Asgard will consider it a violation and withdrawal Earth's protection. Check and mate, Jacob."

"That's very good news. When can we expect Th-" Before Jacob could finish his sentence, everyone was beamed aboard Thor's ship.

"Oh, about now," Jack smirked.

"Greetings O'Neill. I am honored to have your progeny aboard my ship. May we begin?"

"Begin what?" Jacob asked quietly.

"Dad, Thor wants to do his own DNA testing on Dylan. He's hoping there may be something in Dylan's DNA that might give a clue in their own research. It won't hurt him a bit," Sam replied with a smile. Turning to Thor, she added, "I hope our son can help with your research."

"As do I, Major Carter. But, let me assure you, his protection is not dependent upon his usefulness to our research. He will be protected because it is the right thing to do for our friends. We value your friendship," Thor nodded as he opened a stasis pod. "If you will place your son inside, we will do the scan. It will not take long to get the results. Once we are finished with the test, I suggest you and Colonel O'Neill prepare for the ceremony. We will look at the results together after the joining."

"Ceremony? Joining?" Jacob asked.

"Dad, we are getting married here on Thor's ship today. Mind giving me away?"

"I'd be honored," Jacob said as he hugged his daughter then he glared at Jack. "It wouldn't have killed you to ask me first."

"What? And risk you saying no. I know you approve, Dad," Jack said, adding extra emphasis to the word dad. "Besides, this gives Sam the same protection Dylan and I have. I figured you'd want her safe."

The wedding was a simple ceremony performed by Thor. Since the Asgard hadn't actually had the equivalent to a marriage ceremony in centuries, he used the same text they'd have had at the base chapel. As soon as the customary kissing of the bride ended, Thor went to check the results of the DNA scan. "I can confirm that Dylan O'Neill is not from another reality," Thor said as he looked at the monitor. "Each reality has its own distinctions in the DNA strand. The only possible alternative is the one you had already assumed. He is essentially a time anomaly from an alternate future in this reality, a very fortunate anomaly for our scientists. I believe studying this map of your son's DNA will assist them greatly in solving our cloning problems. Thank you for allowing us to gain this information."

"Happy to help, Thor. We're just grateful for your help with Kinsey," Jack said as he squeezed Sam's hand.

"Friends help friends, O'Neill. We will be arriving above your nations capital in a few hours. I will beam down with Jacob Carter. Perhaps knowing the Tok'ra also stand with you will also be of assistance."

Upon beaming to the Oval office, Jacob grinned. Kinsey had also been beamed in and, from the looks of things, Kinsey hadn't been prepared. The senator was in his bathrobe and his face was red. Jacob wasn't sure if it was more red from embarrassment or anger, but Thor quickly took control of the meeting.

"I am here to inform your government that your attempts to remove Dylan O'Neill from his parents have not gone unnoticed. As Colonel O'Neill has recently retired, we have offered him a job as liaison to the other planets of the treaty. We respectfully request he carry out those duties from your Cheyenne mountain, but if you choose to interfere with his family, we will remove them from this planet and place them elsewhere." Thor paused and gave Kinsey a once over look. "Since this position also comes with citizenship with the Asgard, aggression against his family will also effectively remove Earth from the protected planets treaty."

"This is ludicrous!" the senator shouted. "Mr. President, you can't be considering bowing to the demands of aliens."

The president glared at Kinsey. "Senator, I didn't agree with you in the first place. And, I suggest you remember the Asgard and the Tok'ra are our allies. Mr. Thor, you have my word the colonel will not have any issues and using Cheyenne mountain as his base of operations is very acceptable to me."

"Mr. President-" Kinsey began.

"Can we get him out of here?" the president asked, and Thor immediately beamed him away. "Thank you. Tell the colonel and the major welcome home. I wasn't sure how we were going to win this one."

 **Epilogue**

 **July, 2010**

Jack and Sam sat on the dock of the cabin with their fishing poles in the water. Ten year old Dylan and six year old Grace were playing with the family's new basset hound beside them. "Do you ever wonder whether we'd have ever gotten together if Dylan hadn't come through the gate?" Sam asked as she watched Jack recast his line.

"No. I think getting to this point was inevitable. Some things are just meant to be." Jack reached over and took Sam's left hand into his own. "This ring belongs on this finger, and you belong on this dock with me. I love you. I love our kids. I love our life. Nothing could make it more perfect for me."

"Oh, I can think of something that might make it a little better," Sam said with a megawatt grin. Jack raised his eyebrows. "We're going to have to add on to the cabin. By next spring, we'll have three children."

"Seriously? Sam, that's amazing! Now, my life really is perfect."

"Mine, too. I love you, Jack O'Neill."

"I love you, too." Jack paused. "I think we should make Thor the godfather this time around."

"Thor? He's been pretty busy with his own little ones since they fixed their cloning problem. Do you really think he'd want to take on the job?"

"Are you kidding? He'll be honored. Besides, it seems like the best way to thank him for going to bat for us."

Sam giggled. "Fine, Thor can be godfather. But, Jack, this is absolutely the last one, got it?"

"I hear you. Pretty sure you said that after Grace though." Sam swatted playfully at her husband before he kissed her soundly. The fishing poles were quickly forgotten as they went to tell their children the news.

The end.

 **I honestly have no idea what to wrote next. I usually have an idea in my head by the end of the story. If someone has a prompt that might give my muse a hand, I'll consider it. Otherwise, I guess it's break time for me. Thank you so much for reading. I couldn't respond to the guest reviews, but I was very honored. Thanks again.**


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